Why objections to defunding the police can be racist
These objections pick up the least sophisticated claims, and they pretend that this is all black communities have to offer.
Black communities have been researching, writing, and exploring the possibilities for community policing and defunding police for years. You and I, by contrast, are not experts on its pros and cons just because we heard the term and read a few articles. If we take the time to read through the research black communities have provided for us, we’ll probably find that they answer most of our concerns. Instead, many of us have come late to the party and had a lot to say. (I’ll admit the irony in me writing this, and will clarify that this piece isn’t oriented towards those well-educated in this questions; it’s oriented towards responding to troubling critiques.)
The objections currently put forward by many evidence a presumption that the proposals put forward by black communities lack sophistication, awareness, and consideration. These objections pick up the least sophisticated claims, and they pretend that this is all black communities have to offer. It’s as condescending as racism.
It may actually be a form of racism. It says, “I can take a cursory glance at what black communities are saying, and reject them as unresearched and impractical. I will fight for the world as I have lived and been comfortable in it.”
The frustration of many black communities is similar in some ways to what I’ve experienced as a gay man (though, of course, also markedly different). I’ve written tens of thousands of words on being a gay Catholic, which I’ve compiled into two books so that people with questions can order them and read through the development of my ideas in an organized fashion. It would annoy the hell out of me if I saw a friend post on Facebook, “Why do gay people identify as gay, versus ‘same-sex attracted’? Genuinely open to dialogue.” An appropriate response from me would be: “You’re not entitled to dialogue if you haven’t done your reading. I’ve put in work so that you can understand. Now you need to put in work so that you can understand.”
I’m not saying that we can’t critique these calls for police reform and defunding. But I am saying that we can identify something troubling in the framing of many critiques that have come out over the last few days. The first step in combating racism is admitting our own inclinations towards it.
Some resources, if you’re interested: